Apple Inc. changed the prices of software applications from Canada to Europe today, in one of the company’s more comprehensive global responses to currency swings in recent years. With the U.S. dollar rising, Apple earlier this week told software makers selling programs through its online App Store that it’s increasing app prices in the European Union, Norway, Canada and Russia because of foreign exchange rates and taxes. The changes took effect today, with the entry-level price for apps in Canada rising to $1.19 from 99 cents. In Europe, the basic app price jumped to 0.99 euro from 0.89 euro. The moves across two continents -- coupled with Apple boosting iPhone prices in Russia last month after briefly halting online sales there when the ruble plunged -- amount to one of the more concentrated worldwide actions by the Cupertino, California-based company to currency movements. While Apple has previously raised the prices of programs in its international app stores, the … [Read more...] about Apple changes app pricing worldwide, spurred by currency swings
How are app developers paid
PARALLEL TRADE OF PATENTED PHARMACEUTICALS: A DISCUSSION FROM DEVELOPING COUNTRY PERSPECTIVE
PARALLEL TRADE OF PATENTED PHARMACEUTICALS: A DISCUSSION FROM DEVELOPING COUNTRY PERSPECTIVE Dr. Nguyen Nhu Quynh Deputy Chief Inspector Ministry of Science and Technology Abstract: Although the legitimacy of parallel trade was established in the Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights Agreement 1994[1] (TRIPS Agreement) and re-affirmed in the Doha Declaration on TRIPS Agreement and Public Health 2001 (Doha Declaration)[2], parallel trade in patented pharmaceuticals has so far been one of the most heatedly debated topics. Multi-national pharmaceutical companies complain that parallel trade of patented pharmaceuticals denies them adequate protection of their patent rights and prevents them from recouping the costs of pharmaceutical development including research and development (R&D), regulatory approval and amortization of the cost of unsuccessful drug development. In contrast, the developing (and least developed) countries, suffering from the … [Read more...] about PARALLEL TRADE OF PATENTED PHARMACEUTICALS: A DISCUSSION FROM DEVELOPING COUNTRY PERSPECTIVE
New iPhone app Blendr offers dating in real time
Joel Simkhai, the creator of Grindr, a wildly popular mobile dating application for gay men, has spent a lot of time recently thinking about women. Like Grindr, Blendr uses the iPhone's GPS location-sensing technology to find and connect users of the program with other users near them. The Blendr app, launched last week as a free download from iTunes or on Facebook, displays pictures, profiles and interests of other users who have "checked in" nearby and allows them to begin messaging one another. "Blendr is essentially a new way to meet new people," said Simkhai, founder and chief executive of the Los Angeles-based company behind Grindr and Blendr. "We're helping you connect with the people in your immediate surroundings. "You can actually see people in the same room, at the same restaurant, at the same gym, at the same supermarket," he continued. "People who are very, very close to you and are within walking distance." Simkhai said he came up with Grindr after deciding … [Read more...] about New iPhone app Blendr offers dating in real time
Smartphone app for cab users a soft touch
New hi-tech solution will have very limited impact on vexing problem of taxi fraud, authorities yet to show real intent, experts say Stories about foreign visitors and locals being ripped off by taxis keep cropping up relentlessly in media reports, making people wonder whether there is really any genuine interest in dealing with the problem, particularly in the major cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Now, a hi-tech solution is being touted as a breakthrough, but skeptics abound. Experts and industry insiders say the new solution - a free application for smartphones - will certainly help in the fight against overcharging cabbies and fake taxis, helping passengers identify licensed taxis, the best route and the right fare. However, they also said it can only deal with the symptoms in certain cases and that many other actions are required to tackle the root of the issue, which is among the major problems plaguing Vietnam's tourism industry. Alberto Moreno, general manager of … [Read more...] about Smartphone app for cab users a soft touch
Windows Phone struggles to break catch-22 as app makers hold off
Apps, apps, apps! That is the main challenge that Microsoft and Nokia, who are trying to claw back market share from Apple Inc's iPhone and Google's Android in the red hot smartphone market, face now. And so far the going does not look too good for the challengers and their warhorse Windows Phone platform. Apps, short for applications, are small pieces of software that do useful or fun things on cellphones. The huge number and variety of apps in Apple and Google stores are a key factor that has helped the companies emerge as dominant players in the lucrative smartphone market. On Monday, Microsoft and Nokia said they would invest a total of 18 million euros (US$23.9 million) into a new mobile application development program, AppCampus, at Helsinki's Aalto University during the next three years. The move underscores the seriousness with which the two companies view the problem. Most popular global apps such as Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and Evernote are available on the … [Read more...] about Windows Phone struggles to break catch-22 as app makers hold off